Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Animal meat derived component
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-08
2002-08-06
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Animal meat derived component
C426S140000, C426S282000, C426S283000, C426S302000, C426S513000, C426S516000, C426S517000, C426S657000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06428830
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an helical food product, particularly an helical skinless sausage-like product. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for extruding plastic food substrates, particularly meat substrates, to form food products of helical configuration.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
GB-A-2156727 (Pemberton Sintermatic SA) discloses a method for the production of helical protein products in which a proteinaceous product, such as meat or a meat-like product is injected into a cylindrical mould through a nozzle. As extrusion proceeds, the nozzle is withdrawn from the mould to form said helical product. Optionally the mould and nozzle may be rotated relative to one another, but according to GB-A-2156727 this is not necessary provided the rates of extrusion and nozzle withdrawal are correctly adjusted. The wall of the mould is porous and as the product is formed in the nozzle, an acid is applied through the wall onto the outer surfaces of the product, which acid causes coagulation of the proteinaceous product at the surface so as to render the surface cohesive, by which is meant that the product becomes self-supporting, so that thereafter it can retain its shape.
A problem with the method of GB-A-2156727 is that by forming in situ a cohesive skin on the surface of the product by the application of acid or heat, the adjacent turns of the product tend to stick together where they touch to form a generally cylindrical product having a ribbed appearance. Areas of the surface that are inadvertently missed with the acid or heat treatment during manufacture tend to re-anneal during subsequent cooking of the product.
Another disadvantage of the method of GB-A-2156727 is that it does not permit the continuous manufacture of product. Each helical unit has to be made individually within the mould, and removed from the mould before the next unit can be formed. Furthermore, it is difficult to adjust the extrusion and nozzle withdrawal rates suitably to obtain an helical product.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a skinless, helical food product in which the adjacent turns are substantially prevented from re-annealing during manufacture or subsequent cooking.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing an helical food product.
A particular, ancillary object of the present invention is to provide a continuous process for manufacturing an helical food product, which process should ideally be easy to set-up and operate with minimum wastage.
Yet another object is to provide an improved apparatus for implementing the method of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According one aspect of the present invention therefore there is provided a food product comprising one or more plastic food substrates formed into an helical configuration and coated with a fluid barrier agent to prevent re-annealing of adjacent turns of the product.
By ‘helical’ is meant a single helix or a multiple helix, e.g. a double or triple helix. Said food product may be formed from a single plastic food substrate as a single or multiple helix. Alternatively a multiple helix food product may be made from a plurality of different food substrates, typically two, three or four such substrates.
The fluid barrier agent acts to prevent bonding of the food substrate(s) in adjacent turns of the helical product during subsequent processing steps, including cooking. Said fluid barrier agent may be a liquid vegetable oil such, for example, as hydrogenated vegetable oil, Soya oil, rape oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil or a mixture of such oils. Alternatively, said fluid barrier agent may comprise an oil and water emulsion. Such an emulsion may comprise approximately equal amounts of oil and water, together with a suitable emulsifying and/or stabilising agent. Said emulsion may be formed by ambient or chilled temperature high shear mixing using Soya protein isolate; milk protein (caesinates) lactose/milk minerals; milk protein with stabilizers, Xanthan gum, Guar gum and/or deheated mustard power; or blood plasma. At higher energies and temperatures, sodium stearoyl lactoylate can be used. Alternatively the emulsion could be prepared using polyglycol alginates. Higher energy systems of emulsification, by application involve the dispersion of an emulsifying agent into a fraction of the liquid oil phase heated above the melting point of the emulsifying agent. The dispersed emulsifier, in oil, is then introduced into the bulk oil and mixed, and finally introduced by high shear into the water phase, neat or with the water optionally pre-stabilised with gums such as Xanthan, Guar or other hydrocolloids such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose or modified celluloses, carrageenans, starches, alginates or gelatin.
Said emulsifying agent may be selected from lipophilic mono and di glycerides of fatty acid, or acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid esters of glyceride or a blend thereof, e.g. E471, E472 (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f). Alternatives include the lecithins.
Said fluid barrier agent may optionally carry one or more additives selected from water or oil soluble seasonings and flavouring components.
The or each plastic food substrate may, for example, be selected from meat, cheese and pastry based doughs. Preferably at least one of the substrates will be meat based. Said meat may be fresh or frozen, finely comminuted or mechanically separated (recovered) meat. Said meat may be animal or poultry meat, and may be lean meat or, preferably, a mixture of lean meat and fat. Such meat-based substrates may comprise 25-100 wt % meat, preferably 50-75 wt %, including fat. For example a meat-based substrate may typically comprise about 70% meat. The meat component itself may comprise 60-80 wt % mechanically separated meat, typically about 70 wt %. Said meat based substrate may further comprise 5-15 wt % ice, typically about 12 wt %, and optionally one or more seasonings and flavourings. By “meat” here is meant physical meat. Said physical meat may have an analytic meat content of 60-80%, typically about 70% wt, with the remainder usually being largely water.
In especially preferred embodiments of the present invention, the or each meat-based substrate further comprises one or more water-retaining agents, which serve to retain water within the product on cooking. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, on cooking, meat loses water, which gives rise to shrinkage and weight loss of the product. By including a water-retaining agent within the meat substrate(s), such water loss is reduced. Moreover, those skilled in the art will further recognise that a helix represents a fairly ‘high energy’ configuration, and on cooking the product will tend to unwind. Such partial unwinding will result in elongation of the product along the longitudinal axis of the helix. Of course, the extent of such elongation would be offset by shrinkage of the product overall as a result of water loss. However, by controlling water loss in accordance with the present invention, an helical product in accordance with the present invention can be produced which, on cooking, exhibits a net expansion. This is a particularly interesting effect, which appeals especially to children.
In some embodiments, said meat substrate may comprise 5-20 wt % of such a water-retaining agent, preferably 8-15 wt %. Said water-retaining agent may comprise a hydratable, dried or partially dried foodstuff that hydrates under product cooking by absorbing water released from the meat. Especially preferred are granular water-swellable agents, which expand on cooking to assist in overall expansion of the helical product.
Said water-retaining agent will preferably comprise one or more carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are preferred as they may also assist in disrupting the meat protein matrix during cooking. Suitable carbohydrates are rusk and starches, e.g. native starch (tapioca). About 13-14 wt % rusk is especially preferred, althoug
Barker John Harry
Joll David John
Matthews Bernard Trevor
Roberts Peter Elwyn
Wilson David Norman
Bernard Matthews plc
Bhat Nina
RatnerPrestia
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